Dear Dr. Raliou,

Thank you for submitting your manuscript to PLOS ONE. After careful consideration, we feel that it has merit but does not fully meet PLOS ONE’s publication criteria as it currently stands. Therefore, we invite you to submit a revised version of the manuscript that addresses the points raised during the review process.

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Kind regards,

Muhammad Usman Mehmood

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

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Additional Editor Comments :

Although the study is quite interesting, I believe it needs to be validated through a field trial.

Could you please explain the statistical analysis and clarify whether the data is normally distributed? Additionally, could you explain clearly what a repeated measures two-way ANOVA or a mixed-effects model entails?

Line 159, 2alpha should be underscript throughout the manuscript

Line 159, please write the exact dosage like mg/ml

Please write the complete kit details for hormones with a coefficient of variation.

Please provide complete details of the real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis.

Line 328, f-value is not the standard terminology, pls write it scientifically.

Please follow the journal pattren for refernces

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Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously? -->?>

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

3. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available??>

The PLOS Data policy

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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4. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English??>

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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Reviewer #1: Experiments were conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls and sample sizes.

The conclusions were appropriately presented, based on the data reported

Statistical analysis have been performed correctly and rigorously

The language in submitted articles is clear, correct, and unambiguous

The manuscript described multiple techniques and generated data that supports the conclusions.

Reviewer #2: The presented investigation is highly applied in nature and is executed. The developments regarding alternative tools for diagnosing pregnancy has the potential to significantly enhance the fertility goals in the cattle industry and could pave the way as a model for analogous applications within human medicine. The experimental design, in conjunction with the statistical analyses conducted, has been well designed and carried out in a very professional manner. However, it is my considered opinion that the discussion section would greatly benefit from the inclusion of more in-depth arguments, which would effectively introduce novel ideas or suggest new directions for further exploration. In my humble opinion, this article is worthy of acceptance, albeit with the recommendation for some minor improvements to be made specifically in the discussion section to improve its overall quality. I extend my sincere gratitude to the research team for their efforts in bringing forth innovative interventions that contribute meaningfully to our understanding of this important field.

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what does this mean? ). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy

Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: Yes:  Muhammad Shahzad (Xu Jia Song)

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Attachments

Attachment

Submitted filename: PONE-D-25-21659_reviewer.pdf

Gene profiles of peripheral white blood cells as potential predictors of pregnancy in embryo-recipient heifers

PONE-D-25-21659R1

Dear Dr. Mariam Raliou,

We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements.

Within one week, you’ll receive an e-mail detailing the required amendments. When these have been addressed, you’ll receive a formal acceptance letter and your manuscript will be scheduled for publication.

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If your institution or institutions have a press office, please notify them about your upcoming paper to help maximize its impact. If they’ll be preparing press materials, please inform our press team as soon as possible -- no later than 48 hours after receiving the formal acceptance. Your manuscript will remain under strict press embargo until 2 pm Eastern Time on the date of publication. For more information, please contact onepress@plos.org.

Kind regards,

Muhammad Usman Mehmood

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

I would be sincerely thankful to both reviwerers for their valuable reviews. Based on reviewers thoughtful feedback as well as my recommendations, I have made the decision to accept the manuscript for publication. Congratulate to all the authors.

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

Reviewer #2: All comments have been addressed

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2. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions??>

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

3. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously? -->?>

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

4. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available??>

The PLOS Data policy

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

5. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English??>

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

Reviewer #2: Dear Team,

This is a unique piece of work that will contribute something remarkable to the field of reproductive science. I would like you to further develop diagnostic kits based on this research.

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what does this mean? ). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy

Reviewer #2: Yes:  Muhammad Shahzad (Xu JiaSong)

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